Detective Admits Spying on Colleagues

By The New York Times

Nov. 8, 2013

A New York City police detective pleaded guilty on Friday to arranging to hack into dozens of email accounts and gaining access to a federal law enforcement database to gather information on his colleagues, said Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan.

The detective, Edwin Vargas, gained access to at least 43 email accounts and one cellphone, belonging to 30 people, including 20 current or former police officers and a Police Department administrator, Mr. Bharara said in a statement.

Mr. Vargas, 42, a 20-year veteran of the department, was prompted by a “bad relationship,” his lawyer, Peter E. Brill said.

Those familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Mr. Vargas had sought information on colleagues whom he considered romantic rivals.

Between April 2010 and October 2012, Mr. Vargas hired hacking services to pry into the email accounts, at a cost of over $4,000, Mr. Bharara said.

Mr. Vargas, who has been suspended, pleaded guilty to one count of computer hacking and one of conspiracy. He faces a one-year sentence for each count and is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

“This is an isolated incident in an otherwise good career,” Mr. Brill said. “I think he’d like to move on, and help raise his family.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: Detective Admits Spying on Colleagues. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe